Breathe No More
by Lost-Blue-Phantom
Summary: PreSeason 5. See Full Summary and Author's Note Inside for more detail. TM Threeshot. Complete.
1. Breathe

**Official Summary: PreSeason 5. After several ailments, Tony decides to take Michelle to the doctor's. Set to Evanescene's Breathe No More.**

**Rating: K Plus**

**Status: COMPLETE!! 08-09-08**

**A/N: Whether you know or not, it has been rumored that Carlos Bernard is returning to 24 for Season 7. However, the producers of 24 can't get Reiko Aylesworth. Well, I don't know if they can't or if they want to, but producer Howard Gordon has been rumored to have said that, "Michelle is definitely six feet under". Now I came up with, to justify in my own mind, Michelle's death put in a better light. It would just make me feel better about the supposed not return of Reiko Aylesworth to 24. This is a threeshot.**

* * *

**Breathe No More**

"Damn it!" Michelle reached for yet another tissue. Her nose had started bleeding for the fifth time that day.

"Something wrong?" A voice asked in the doorway. She could almost hear the smirk in his voice, but she looked up anyway, glaring at him frustratedly.

"Yes, my nose is bleeding again." She growled.

"Again?" Tony asked, his voice thick with concern. "Michelle this is like the fifth time today. Are you sure you're okay? Yesterday, your nose was bleeding too."

"Tony, I'm just stressed out." She murmured, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. When she opened them again, Tony was sitting next to her, stroking her cheek gently.

"Your face is burning." He murmured gently.

She sniffled thickly, suppressing a sob and holding the tissue against her nose, "I told you, I'm just stressed out."

"Then it's settled." Tony declared. "You and I are taking the rest of the day off. I'm taking you to the doctor. Just to make sure it's only a stress related thing and not something more serious."

"Like pregnancy?" Michelle half joked. Once, a few months ago, Michelle had thought she was pregnant. She had taken the test, but it turned out she was not pregnant. Ever since then, Tony took every little ailment as a sign of pregnancy.

"Perhaps." Tony said after a moment or two of silence. Michelle smiled at him, tiredly.

"No Tony." She said, nearly growling at him. "I'm just tired and worn out."

"Aww, poor baby." Cooed Tony, moving his chair closer to Michelle's and brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "This is why I'm taking you to the doctor. I'm tired of persuading you it's okay to take a few days off of work. So we'll let her persuade you to take a few days off."

"Wait, you mean Catalina?" Michelle asked, turning to her husband with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Yes. The doctor she is working as an intern for is at a medical clinic in London for the week. And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he your regular doctor?" Tony said, trying his hardest not to smile.

"No Tony, I don't need to go to the doctor's office." Michelle said.

"Michelle, it's what's best for you."

"Tony, I'm fine. I just need to rest. It's Friday. I can rest over the weekend."

"Michelle, it's either going to be a few days now, or a week or two later when whatever it is you have gets much worse!" Tony exclaimed.

"Tony, you're just worried for my sake. I'm fine." Michelle responded. Her voice wavered slightly. "I'm just tired. With all these production meetings and everyone suddenly deciding to quit."

Tony wordlessly brought Michelle into a hug. "It's all right. But even so, I'd just like to make sure that it's only stress causing all these nosebleeds."

"With the nosebleeds . . . it reminds me of the Chandler Plaza." Michelle choked on the words.

"Exactly. That's why I want you to see the doctor's. I just want to make sure it's only stress induced. And I've decided we're going to the doctor's office."

Michelle grimaced. She hated the doctor's office. Tony's eldest niece, Catalina, was working in LA for a doctor. It wasn't like she didn't like Catalina. She often treated Catalina as her own daughter. But the fact that this could be something really serious bothered Michelle.

"I know you don't like the doctor sweetheart." Tony said. "But it's for your own good."

"All right." Michelle sighed.

Tony picked up the phone and dialed the phone to the doctor's office. "Hello? Yes, this is Tony Almeida. I'd like to schedule an appointment for my wife Michelle Dessler."

"What are her symptoms?" The receptionist asked.

"Frequent nosebleeds." Responded Tony.

"When do you want this appointment?"

"As soon as you can get it." Tony answered.

"Today at four sound okay Mr. Almeida?" The receptionist asked.

"Yes, that sounds good. Thank you very much. Good bye." Tony said, hanging up the phone. "Four o'clock today Michelle." He said, kissing her temple.

"Four o'clock," She agreed, frowning slightly. Michelle Dessler was afraid of only two things. Losing Tony, and the doctor's office. Today, she would have to deal with her second fear.

_I've been looking in the mirror for so long.  
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side.  
All the little pieces falling, shatter.  
Shards of me,  
Too sharp to put back together.  
Too small to matter,  
But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.  
If I try to touch her,  
And I bleed,  
I bleed,  
And I breathe,  
I breathe no more. _


	2. No

**A/N: Chapter two of the three shot! That only took . . . months. Sorry, I had a dreaded case of Writer's Block and it just would't go away. But here it is, the day before Christmas Eve. -gasp-. Anyway, thank you crazylove06, my only reviewer.**

**Disclaimer: Hun, I don't own 24. Or Evanescene. And both would sprial downward if I did own them. **

* * *

At four o'clock that afternoon, Michelle sat waiting in the doctor's office. She was pretending to be interested in a magazine that she was reading. The doctors and nurses moved busily throughout the waiting area, not noticing her. "Tony, I really think this can wait." She said, trailing off, in a last bid to get out of the doctor's office.

"Michelle, I told you a thousand times, Jarred can handle the meeting on his own. He is the most experienced person we have there right now sweetheart. He won't let us down." Tony reassured her.

"But it looks so unprofessional that we're not there." Michelle fretted. "What if the clients think less of us?"

"They understand." Tony murmured comfortingly. "I spoke with Frank before we left. He knows that you're not feeling well. He said to wish you well."

Michelle furrowed her brow again. There was no way that she could get out of this now. An elderly nurse came over and rasped, "Michelle Dessler?"

Michelle reluctantly pushed herself off of the chair and put the magazine down. Tony tilted his head, as if asking her if he should come with her. She shook her head in response and followed the nurse to a room.

The room was sickeningly white, almost blinding her as she walked in. The elderly nurse smiled at her and said, "Doctor Almeida will be with you shortly." As the elderly nurse left and closed the door behind her. Michelle took in small breaths, to try to calm herself down.

She continued to look around the room, as if to see if she could find something to do while she waited for her niece, the doctor, to come in to check up on her.

_I wonder what could be wrong with me. Could I really be pregnant? No, that can't be it. These aren't the normal symptoms a woman gets during pregnancy. Maybe it's just a shift in the weather. The weather's getting drier right? So maybe the dry air is making my capillaries fragile. _Michelle weighed down what could possibly be wrong with her. A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." Michelle said with a tired smile. The door opened. A girl, who looked no older than 24, but was actually 28 walked in. Her light brown hair was tied tightly in a ponytail behind her ears. Her light brown eyes, which normally read business, were light and friendly.

"Hi Michelle." Catalina said, offering her gloved hand in handshake. Michelle shook her niece's hand, noticing the bright smile on her face.

"Why so cheery?" Michelle asked, feeling the brightness of her niece's mood drowning her in the brightness of the room.

A snarl quickly made it's way on and off her face. "I have to. Dr. Lance said I was becoming too intimidating for the patients. So I had to be cheerier for them. So I don't make them feel afraid of the doctor's office. Apparently I scare people."

"You scared me when you came in like a ball of sunshine." Michelle said sourly. Catalina laughed, her laugh soft and light. Catalina did a quick examination of her eyes, ears, throat, nose, and blood pulse. Catalina quickly scribbled things down in the file, making Michelle wonder, just exactly what she was writing.

"Perhaps I did scare you." She said with a chuckle after completing her quick analysis. "But onto business. What's up Aunt Michelle? My uncle said something about frequent nosebleeds?"

"Yes." Michelle responded. "And frequent migraines."

Catalina nodded twice before asking, "How are your eyes feeling?"

"Fine." Michelle responded. Michelle mentally double-checked to see if her eyes had been bothering her.

Catalina nodded twice again before asking, "Mood swings?"

"I wouldn't know." Michelle said with a tiny laugh. Catalina grinned as well. "You'd have to ask Tony."

Catalina scribbled something on the paper in the file. "How are your ears?"

"Fine," Responded Michelle.

"Throat?" Catalina asked.

Michelle shook her head in the affirmative. "Why are you asking these questions? Didn't you see that everything was okay in the physical?"

"Just double checking. I don't want to overlook something."

"I see, continue."

"Stomach?" Catalina asked, continuing her 'interrogation' of the poor patient, Michelle.

"A little queasy lately. But I haven't been puking." Michelle responded, wondering if she was pregnant, for the umpteenth time.

Catalina nodded again. "When is your next period?" She asked abruptly, lifting her head up from the file with such speed, Michelle was afraid her poor niece would give herself whiplash.

"Am I pregnant?" Michelle asked.

"It's possible." Catalina responded in classic doctor form. "Although the nosebleeds and the queasiness you've been suffering from could be from stress as well. Your blood pressure is a little higher than normal. These symptoms could also be a result of the weather change. I'm trying to explore as many possibilities as I can. So, when is your next period?"

Michelle shrugged. "I'm not sure. It was supposed to come yesterday."

Catalina nodded again, pursing her lips together, thinking about what she wanted to do. Michelle stared at her niece intently. "I want to take a swab." Catalina said after a moment's hesitation. "There's one more possibility we haven't explored."

The tone of her niece's voice, and the anxiety flickering in her eyes should've been enough to make Michelle stay quiet and understand. But that wasn't Michelle Dessler. Michelle asked bravely, "What's that possibility?"

"The Cordelia virus." Catalina said quietly.

"I was immune! I'm the last person alive who ever came in contact with the virus!" Michelle exclaimed, shocked by the possibility.

"You were immune based off one day's no- less than one day's, worth of data. It's possible, and has been brought up in several medical discussions, that this virus was meant to be thoroughly lethal. Kill every living thing that it came in contact with. There's footage of the plants in the Chandler Plaza hotel. They've been slowly breaking down, until the symptoms show. That may be what's happening to you. That's the worst case scenario anyway."

"You have quite the bedside manner." Michelle said sarcastically. Inside, her heart was thumping loudly against her chest. If she did have the Cordelia virus, she would die. And her death would be drawn out in the most painful way possible. "What's the best case scenario?"

"Best case scenario?" Catalina asked, lifting her eyebrow. "Best case scenario is that this is stress induced. Or that you're pregnant. Preferably the prior. Simply because if you were pregnant, there's still the chance of the Cordelia virus surfacing again and harming the fetus." Catalina put the pen and the file down and stared her eyes. With a shuddering breath Catalina continued, "I'll be back with the swab. Just gently insert it into your nose and then take it out."

Michelle nodded and Catalina left. The possibility of having to deal with the Cordelia virus again was overbearing. She wanted the tears to fal down her face. She wanted to cry. She couldn't. The workplace Michelle was currently taking over, rendering her unable to cry.

A knock sounded at the door. "Come in." Michelle said quietly. Tony entered, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"See." He murmured. "That wasn't so bad now was it?"

"It's not over yet." Michelle grumbled. Tony lifted his eyebrows, kissing her temple.

"Excuse me, sir." Catalina's voice sounded from the doorway. Her eyes narrowed sternly. Michelle could still see the playful look in their niece's eyes, though seriousness etched her look. "My examination is not finished yet. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Michelle suddenly understood why Catalina was asking Tony to leave. It wasn't procedure. It was for her own sake, and his as well.

"All right Doctor." Tony put his hands up in surrender. He gave his niece a quick hug before leaving the room. "Just remember who changed your diapers when you were two."

Catalina glared at him. "Uncle Tony." She growled. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, or get security to remove you."

"I'm going! I'm going!" Tony said walking away. Catalina watched her uncle walk away until she was completely sure he was gone. Coming back into the room, she shut the door behind her.

"Aunt Michelle . . ." Catalina began awkwardly, huskiness entering her voice.

"Listen to me Catalina." Michelle said sternly. "You don't need to apologize for this. Just do your job. You need to pretend I'm nothing more to you than another paitent."

"I can't." Catalina whispered. "In my life where stable parents weren't a constant, you and Uncle Tony were there for me. Always." Clearing her throat, in a desperate attempt to get rid of the sentiments, she added, "Just gently insert the swab into your nostril." Once Michelle did so, Catalina encased the swab in a swab case. "Now the test should come back in a couple of hours. If it comes back negative, I'm going to say that it's all work induced stress. If it comes back positive . . ." Catalina trailed off.

"If it comes back positive?" Michelle asked, though already knowing the dreaded answer.

"I think you know what that means, if that swab comes back positive." Catalina murmured quietly, exiting the room. Michelle was left alone in the bright room, feeling the bright lights more ominous from when she had entered.

_Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well.  
Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child.  
Lie to me,  
Convince me that I've been sick forever.  
And all of this,  
Will make sense when I get better.  
But I know the difference,  
Between myself and my reflection.  
I just can't help but to wonder,  
Which of us do you love?_

* * *

**Yeah, if any of that medical stuff sounded unprofessional, don't be surprised. I'm a freshmen in High School and I know nothing about life sceiences except for when you mix alcohol and prescription drugs, it's bad. I'm also trying not to think about school or health class or biology class right now. Anyway, erm, review, I guess. **


	3. More

**A/N: Well, after almost a whole year since I first posted the first chapter, Breathe No More is at it's close. Amazing how I can procrastinate that much. Anyway, I appreciate the support from all of you guys, and I hope the ending is good enough for you. If you think it's crap, well, I understand. **

**Reviewer Replies (I have a lot this time!):**

**one of the TM fans: Thanks so much for that review, it made my day. Yes, I've learned that there are less reviewers than readers, but reviews give it a little push.**

**crazylove06: It was always my intention to make it more personal that it needed to be. It's easier to write when there are more emotions you can tap into.**

**crazylove06: It's fine. And yeah, you said that before. :D**

**MichelleBA (chapter 1): Really? I always thought I sucked at suspense, but thank you.**

**MichelleBA (chapter 2): Thank you. Here's the next chapter for you.**

**angelina: Well, you'll have to read to see what happens.**

**Tiana: Yeah, 24 Idol. -wince- I have to work on that.**

**TerriG20: Yeah, I know. It was filler stuff though. There were just some aspects that I did need to brush up on though.**

**Jurojin: Well, now I'm finally finished!**

**Hell-Annie: Reading it twice helps the hit count. :)**

**Hell-Annie: Yes, I did leave you hanging. For almost eight months. I hope you didn't forget about this story in the process.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own 24 or Breathe No More written by Amy Lee of Evanescene.**

* * *

Michelle bit her knuckles, as Tony drove home. She wanted to burst out into tears, tell him what was wrong, tell him everything that Catalina had said. She still couldn't. She had a duty to protect him.

"What's wrong, Michelle?" Tony asked. "It's not like you to be this quiet."

"I know. She said softly, a light smile on her face. "I'm tired. I feel like I've been working at CTU all day." She let out a dry laugh at the end of her statement. She could feel the venom seeping in through her tone.

_CTU. _Michelle thought, trying not to cry. _Jack's . . . well God only knows where Jack is. I don't know if I can handle going into CTU, just to tell Bill and Chloe. Maybe Curtis and Edgar as well. I can't tell Kim, she thinks her father is dead, she doesn't need more of that. No one knows where Chase is anymore, and Adam went missing years ago. How is it I went from knowing everyone at CTU, to knowing no one at all?_She had been so caught up in her thinking, that she missed Tony's words completely.

"Michelle?" He asked impatiently. She looked up. He was concerned, and slightly annoyed that she hadn't been paying attention to anything he had been saying for the past two minutes. "Are you all right, Curly Head?"

"I don't know." She sighed. "I don't know anymore." Her voice hitched. His look of concern deepened. This was the moment. She had to tell him. She cleared her throat. "Tony?" She asked quietly. "I have something to tell you." _Just tell him, there's no other way. _" I may have the Cordelia virus, again." She told him. She jerked forward as Tony slammed on the brakes. Luckily, there was no one behind them.

"You've got to be joking, Michelle." He growled huskily. "It's not funny." His eyes were wide, and scared, and it almost seemed like he was about to cry. She stroked his cheek gently.

"I'll explain when we get home." She said quietly. "Please, Tony. Don't make this harder than it has to be." They continued to drive home, and angry and brooding silence was mulling between them. Needless to say, they both were relieved when they saw their driveway. Tony pulled into the driveway and stopped the car.

"Now what's this nonsense about the Cordelia virus." Tony asked angrily. He was shaking, his teeth were grinding against each other, and his knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel. Shining brightly on his ring finger, was his wedding ring.

"It's not nonsense, Tony. It may be the real thing." Michelle said quietly. She quietly took his left hand and entwined it with her own. Feeling their wedding rings brush against each other was a strange sign of comfort.

"That's bullshit. You were immune. The only one left to come in full fledged contact with it." He growled, his voice wavering. His grip on her hand became tighter. "You can't have it, you can't, Michelle."

She looked up at him. "I may not have a choice." She said quietly. Suddenly, the realization hit her that this could be real. Two silver tears formed in her eyes and began to trail down her cheeks. The fear began sink in, as she whispered, "I don't want to die. I don't want to leave you."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Tony murmured, brushing the tears off of her cheeks. "We don't know if the test is positive, yet." Michelle didn't want to say anything. In her heart of hears, she knew it could be."C'mon, let's go inside. We'll order in some pizza and we'll wait for the results. Together." He kissed her forehead, in an attempt to calm her down. She took two calming breaths.

_Get it together, Michelle. You're psyching yourself out. There's no need for that. Just wait for Catalina to call. _She took one more breath before stepping into the house. All the familiar sights in her home made Michelle feel more comfortable. As if somehow, everything they had been through together would make her stronger. _We went through this once before, we can do it again._

Before long, Michelle and Tony were curled up on the couch, in their sweatpants and sweatshirts setting up the DVD player. "No quoting the movie word for word this time, kay Curly Head?" Tony asked, playfully narrowing his eyes. They were about to start watching 'The Princess Bride', a movie Tony had never bothered watching, and one of Michelle's all-time favorite movies. Their pizza was on the way, and it just seemed like another Friday night. Except it was Tuesday night.

"Has it got any sports in it?" Michelle, unable to help herself, began to quote along with the movie. Tony lifted his eyebrows, and wordlessly began to tickle her, so that she would stop. She writhed in his lap, before pinning him down onto his back. The room was filled with their laughter.

"I love you, 'Chelle." Tony whispered, attempting to kiss Michelle on the forehead. She loosened her grip, only to have Tony roll her onto her back on the couch. He brushed his nose against hers. "But you drive me nuts, sometimes." The door bell rang, and Tony kissed her forehead again before getting up. Michelle sat up on the couch, a mock pout on her face.

Tony opened the door to find Catalina standing in the doorway. He lifted his eyebrows, as she whipped out a large vanilla folder. "I hope I'm not bothering you two . . ." She said, peering into the house. "I wanted to give this to you, as well as explain what everything means."

"There's something else, isn't there?" Tony asked. His heart began to pound in his chest, fearing the worst.

"Yeah. Umm, I was hoping you had leftovers. I haven't eaten anything but salad in days." Catalina said sheepishly. "I know that's greedy of me, but you can't expect me to live on take-out food for forever!"

"I did it, and I turned out just fine!" Michelle hollered, eyes glued to the movie. Then she realized who was standing at the door, and paused the movie. "Don't just stand there in the doorway, Tony. Let your niece in." Tony side-stepped to allowed Catalina entrance. She did so quite cautiously, as she had only been in house once before. "What's the vanilla folder for?"

"Test results." Catalina's voice barely rose above a whisper, causing Michelle and Tony to look at her in alarm. "It's not good. If you'll sit down, please."

"Can I ask a really dumb question?" Michelle asked. Catalina looked confused and Michelle continued, "How can you have these in just four hours from the swabbing?"

"It took the same time almost a year ago." Catalina said lightly, signaling the end of that question. "The cordelia virus was meant to be a killer, finishing off everything that came in contact with it." On this note, she pulled out a wad of papers. "This shows the continuous breakdown, and what to expect."

"She's going to die, and there's absolutely nothing we can do?" Tony asked. "There aren't any antibiotics to ward this off? Just delay it a little longer. This says she's only going to live six more months!" He was sorely tempted to throw the papers back at Catalina, but thought better of it as he saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Michelle." She whispered, her voice wavering. "I wish there was something I could do to help you," She began to sob. "But there's nothing I can do." She took a few shuddering breaths before adding, "Uncle Tony, at about month four, she'll need to be put in isolation. We don't want you to contract the disease. When she dies, it'll be the last of the disease. No one else will be able to contract it."

"I don't care." Tony growled. "If she dies, I'm dying with her." He added huskily, "Leftovers are in the refrigerator. Just take them and go." He couldn't help the bitterness from leaving his voice. Even if his own mother had told him that Michelle was going to die, and there was nothing he could do, he would still be furious with her.

After a slamming door symbolized Catalina leaving, Michelle whispered quietly to Tony, "Tony . . . I don't want to die." She could only feel Tony's grip tightening on her as she continued, "It's just not fair. Our one chance at making things right with each other, having a happy life, with a family and a white picket fence." They both tried not to chuckle at the image.

"We'll find a way through this." Tony whispered, stroking her head. "Let's just finish our movie for now." Michelle shook her head. "You just want to go to bed?" He asked softly. She nodded into his shirt. "All right, Curly Head. Everything will be all right in the morning. You'll see."

However, everything wasn't all right in the morning. Headlines blared, "David Palmer: Assassinated". Michelle watched the news, an intent look on her face. This made Tony uneasy. As happy as she would be, owkring amongst her former collegues for the last time, he couldn't risk her dying in the line of duty. It was selfish of him to say this, but he'd rather have her die, in isolation, in a few months from now.

She was frustrated. She wanted to go back to CTU. She wanted to help people, do something for the good of the country one last time. Finally, she hissed at him, "You can handle the meeting on your own." She felt so betrayed. Wasn't he supposed to be there for her, now of all times? She gave him a sad kiss on the cheek before walking out to her car. She gave him one last look, as he was talking on the phone, before she started the ignition.

There was just an explosion, and the sound of Tony's voice, calling out to her. _He changed his mind. _She thought, trying to form a smile on her lips, before she closed her eyes and could breathe no more.

_So I bleed,  
I bleed,  
And I breathe,  
I breathe now...  
Bleed,  
I bleed,  
And I breathe,  
I breathe,  
I breathe-  
I breathe no more._

* * *

**The ending was so rushed. But I don't really care. I wanted to be done. You guys want to hear somehting really sad? This is the first multi-chaptered fic I've finished without deleting it. So, I hope you enjoyed that. **


End file.
